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Message-ID:  <[log in to unmask]>
Date:         Thu, 22 Jul 2004 17:57:22 -0400
Reply-To: End Commercial Logging Campaign Comm List              <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: End Commercial Logging Campaign Comm List              <[log in to unmask]>
From: Sean Cosgrove <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: TAKE ACTION -- Tell the Bush Administration to Protect Our Wild Forests
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PLEASE FORWARD


          Bush Administration Attacks Roadless Area Conservation Rule

     Help Protect Wild Forests ? Keep Intact the Roadless Rule!

     One of the most popular conservation policies in American history was
     dealt a crippling blow with the Bush administration's decision to
     abandon the landmark Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The Bush
     administration has proposed a convoluted process that will leave
     America's last wild forests open to destructive commercial logging and
     road building. This controversial decision forces Governors to
     petition the Department of Agriculture to protect their wild, roadless
     National Forests. The public comment period officially began last week
     and continues through September 14, 2004.

     Already, 440,000 miles of roads are carved into America's National
     Forests. The wildly popular Roadless Rule helped protect our remaining
     wild forests and the clean water, wildlife habitat and outstanding
     backcountry recreation opportunities from more taxpayer-subsidized
     commercial logging. The Roadless Rule was developed over three years
     of public hearings and scientific analysis. To date more than 2
     million Americans have commented on the original rule, with 95 percent
     supporting the strongest wild forests protections.

     This policy change is the Bush administration's latest effort to
     reduce or eliminate decades of National Forest protection and increase
     spending to benefit timber companies.

     Take Action: Submit a Comment Today!!

     Mail comments to:

     Content Analysis Team,
     ATTN: Roadless State Petitions
     USDA Forest Service
     P.O. Box 221090
     Salt Lake City, UT 84122
     Fax to: (801) 517-1014
     Email to: [log in to unmask]
     Comments also may be submitted from: http://www.regulations.gov

     Below is a sample comment and talking points:

     Date

     To Chief Dale Bosworth:

     I am writing regarding the proposed changes to the Roadless Area
     Conservation Rule. [Docket Number: 04-16191] I believe all of
     America's National Forests should be protected from commercial
     logging, road construction and other damaging activities.  I would
     like complete protection for all roadless areas in all National
     Forests.  This includes protection from road building, including
     temporary roads, all logging, mining and oil and gas development.

     These wild forests should be protected in order to provide clean
     water, back country recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and other
     important values.  I urge you to abandon this misguided proposal and
     keep the Roadless Area Conservation Rule intact in the Lower 48 states
     and Alaska's Chugach National Forest and reinstate the rule in the
     Tongass National Forest. The Forest Service and the Bush
     administration should do all they can to protect our last remaining
     roadless areas.

     Name
     Address
     Phone

     Background:

     The Bush administration's new policy will render the Roadless Area
     Conservation Rule meaningless by requiring governors to petition the
     Forest Service to not construct roads in or otherwise develop
     inventoried wild roadless forest areas. The administration also
     indicated that it intends to permanently exempt the national forests
     in Alaska from the roadless rule.

     The "state petition" process that the Forest Service proposed would
     require a two-step process for permanent protection of roadless areas
     on the national forests. First, a state governor would have to prepare
     an administrative petition "to adjust management direction" for
     roadless areas in their state. The Forest Service could simply reject
     this petition out-of-hand. Second, if the petition were agreed to, the
     Secretary of Agriculture would establish a formal rulemaking process
     on a state-by-state basis to consider permanent protection of the
     roadless areas in question. This administrative rulemaking is
     time-consuming and the administration could simply decide not to grant
     protection.

     The proposed rule would replace the Roadless Rule, leaving all 58.5
     million acres of inventoried roadless areas in the United States open
     to road building, logging, and resource development. Until a state
     governor petitions for protection, management of inventoried roadless
     areas would be based on the individual forest management plans, which
     often require no special protections.

     Roadless Area Conservation Rule Background

     The Roadless Rule, designed to protect 58.5 million acres of roadless
     wild forests in 39 states, was the result of the most extensive public
     comment process in history, spanning three years and 600 public
     meetings. During the rulemaking, the Clinton administration received a
     record-breaking one million public comments in support of protecting
     wild forests. By January 2004, the Forest Service has received more
     than 2.5 million comments from the American people, 95 percent of
     which favor the strongest protections for these wild forests. From the
     day President Bush entered the White House, his administration's
     intentions have been clear: blocking the Roadless Rule was one of the
     new administration's first decisions, followed shortly by refusal to
     defend the rule in court.


             For more information visit www.sierraclub.org/forests



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